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Estrogenic and Antioxidant Activities of Pterocarpus soyauxii (Fabaceae) Heartwood Aqueous Extract in Bilateral Oophorectomized Wistar Rat. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2021; 2021:6759000. [PMID: 34630615 PMCID: PMC8497103 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6759000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Phytoestrogens are used to ease postmenopausal symptoms, a property probably due to estrogenic and antioxidant effects. Pterocarpus soyauxii (P. soyauxii) is empirically used in Cameroon to treat among others primary and secondary amenorrhea. The aim of this study is to evaluate estrogenic and antioxidant activities of P. soyauxii heartwood aqueous extract in bilateral oophorectomized Wistar rats. Firstly, a characterization of the extract was carried out. For that, flavonoids, phenols, and tannins levels in P. soyauxii extract were evaluated by colorimetric assays and UHPLC-MS analysis was realized. In vitro antioxidant analysis of P. soyauxii was conducted using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. Secondly, 2 sets of pharmacologic tests were carried out. The results revealed that P. soyauxii aqueous extract contains, respectively, 229.42 ± 3.62 mg EAG/g, 63.42 ± 2.16 mg EQ/g, and 27.88 ± 0.23 mg ETA/g of polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins. UHPLC-MS enabled identifying seven components including mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, cembrene, 3′,5′-dimethoxy-4-stilbenol, and linoleic acid. DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays revealed that P. soyauxii extract possessed a high antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 730.20 µg/mL, 892.90 µg/mL, and 765.75 mEAG/g of extract, respectively. In the uterotrophic assay, P. soyauxii extract induced significant increase of fresh uterine weight, uterine and vaginal epithelial size, and mammary glands differentiation compared to Ovx control. In the postmenopausal model, compared to the sham control, vagina and uterine dystrophies were observed in Ovx rats treated with distilled water. P. soyauxii aqueous extract expressed estrogenic-like effects on vagina and did not affect uterine epithelial height compared with vehicle groups. On the back of these vaginotrophic effects, the extract displayed antiatherogenic properties by reducing (p < 0.001) AI and LDL cholesterol level as compared to Ovx control group. The extract at 200 mg/kg significantly prevented the increase of MDA (p < 0.01) level and decreased nitrites (p < 0.001) and GSH (p < 0.01) levels compared to Ovx rats. These beneficial effects are related at least in part to the presence of compound such as mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, 3′,5′-dimethoxy-4-stilbenol, and linoleic acid. Overall, P. soyauxii aqueous extract exhibits estrogenic and antioxidant effects which can inhibit postmenopausal symptoms by providing vaginal stratification, improving lipid profile and insulin sensitivity, and reducing oxidative stress without side effects on the endometrium and mammary gland in 84-day Ovx rats.
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Isoflavones Isolated from the Seeds of Millettia ferruginea Induced Apoptotic Cell Death in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25010207. [PMID: 31947862 PMCID: PMC6983189 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25010207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The seeds of Millettia ferruginea are used in fishing, pesticides, and folk medicine in Ethiopia. Here, the anti-cancer effects of isoflavones isolated from M. ferruginea were evaluated in human ovarian cancer cells. We found that isoflavone ferrugone and 6,7-dimethoxy-3’,4’-methylenedioxy-8-(3,3-dimethylallyl)isoflavone (DMI) had potent cytotoxic effects on human ovarian cancer cell A2780 and SKOV3. Ferrugone and DMI treatment increased the sub-G1 cell population in a dose-dependent manner in A2780 cells. The cytotoxic activity of ferrugone and DMI was associated with the induction of apoptosis, as shown by an increase in annexin V-positive cells. Z-VAD-fmk, a broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor, and z-DEVD-fmk, a caspase-3 inhibitor, significantly reversed both the ferrugone and DMI-induced apoptosis, suggesting that cell death stimulated by the isoflavones is mediated by caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. Additionally, ferrugone-induced apoptosis was found to be caspase-8-dependent, while DMI-induced apoptosis was caspase-9-dependent. Notably, DMI, but not ferrugone, increased the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) attenuated the pro-apoptotic activity of DMI. These data suggest that DMI induced apoptotic cell death through the intrinsic pathway via ROS production, while ferrugone stimulated the extrinsic pathway in human ovarian cancer cells.
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Zingue S, Michel T, Nde CBM, Njuh AN, Cisilotto J, Ndinteh DT, Clyne C, Fernandez X, Creczynski-Pasa TB, Njamen D. Estrogen-like and tissue-selective effects of 7-methoxycoumarin from Ficus umbellata (Moraceae): an in vitro and in vivo study. BMC COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2017; 17:383. [PMID: 28768532 PMCID: PMC5541738 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1895-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ficus umbellata is a medicinal plant previously shown to endow estrogenic properties. Its major component was isolated and characterized as 7-methoxycoumarin (MC). Noteworthy, coumarins and the respective active metabolite 7-hydroxycoumarin analogs have shown aromatase inhibitory activity, which is of particular interest in the treatment of estrogen-dependent cancers. The present work aimed at evaluating the estrogenic/antiestrogenic effects of MC in vitro and in vivo. METHODS To do so, in vitro assays using E-screen and reporter gene were done. In vivo, a 3-day uterotrophic assay followed by a postmenopausal-like rat model to characterize MC as well as F. umbellata aqueous extract in ovariectomized Wistar rats was performed. The investigations focused on histological (vaginal and uterine epithelial height) and morphological (uterine wet weight, vagina stratification and cornification) endpoints, bone mass, biochemical parameters and lipid profile. RESULTS MC induced a significant (p < 0.05) MCF-7 cell proliferation at a concentration of 0.1 μM, but did not inhibit the effect induced by estradiol in both E-screen and reporter gene assays. In vivo, MC treatment did not show an uterotrophic effect in both rat models used. However, MC (1 mg/kg) induced a significant increase (p < 0.01) of vaginal epithelial height. No significant change was observed with MC in abdominal fat weight, serum lipid levels and bone weight. CONCLUSION These results suggest that MC has a weak estrogenic activity in vitro and in vivo that accounts only in part to the estrogenicity of the whole plant extract. MC could be beneficial with regard to vagina dryness as it showed a tissue specific effect without exposing the uterus to a potential tumorigenic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Zingue
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 55, Maroua, Cameroon
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina 88040-900 Brazil
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028 South Africa
| | - Thomas Michel
- Institute of Chemistry of Nice, Faculty of Science, University Côte d’Azur, UMR CNRS 7272, Valrose Park, Cedex 2 Nice, France
| | | | - Amstrong Nang Njuh
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 55, Maroua, Cameroon
| | - Julia Cisilotto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina 88040-900 Brazil
| | - Derek Tantoh Ndinteh
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028 South Africa
| | - Colin Clyne
- Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC 3168 Australia
| | - Xavier Fernandez
- Institute of Chemistry of Nice, Faculty of Science, University Côte d’Azur, UMR CNRS 7272, Valrose Park, Cedex 2 Nice, France
| | - Tânia Beatriz Creczynski-Pasa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina 88040-900 Brazil
| | - Dieudonné Njamen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028 South Africa
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon
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Zingue S, Tchoumtchoua J, Ntsa DM, Sandjo LP, Cisilotto J, Nde CBM, Winter E, Awounfack CF, Ndinteh DT, Clyne C, Njamen D, Halabalaki M, Creczynski-Pasa TB. Estrogenic and cytotoxic potentials of compounds isolated from Millettia macrophylla Benth (Fabaceae): towards a better understanding of its underlying mechanisms. BMC COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2016; 16:421. [PMID: 27784319 PMCID: PMC5396542 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1385-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Millettia macrophylla was previously reported to have estrogenic effects and to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis in Wistar rats. So, the study deals with the identification of its secondary metabolites and the evaluation of their estrogenicity and cytotoxicity toward tumoural cells. Thus, 13 known compounds were obtained from successive chromatographic columns and identified by NMR data compared to those previously reported. METHODS In vitro estrogenicity of the isolates and the phenolic fraction (PF) of M. macrophylla were performed by E-screen and reporter gene assays, while their cytotoxicity was evaluated by Alamar Blue (resazurin) assay. A 3-days uterotrophic assay and the ability of PF to alleviate hot flushes in ovariectomized adult rats were tested in vivo. RESULTS Seven of the 13 secondary metabolites turned to be estrogenic. Only two exhibited cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 with CC50 values of 110 μM and 160 μM, respectively. PF induced a significant (p < 0.01) MCF-7 cells proliferation and transactivated both ERα and ERβ in the reported gene assay at 10-2 μg/mL. In vivo, PF acted more efficiently than the methanol crude extract, resulting to a significant (p < 0.01) increase in the uterine wet weight, uterine protein level, uterine and vaginal epithelial height at the dose of 10 mg/kg BW. In addition, PF reduced the average duration and frequency of hot flushes induced in rat. CONCLUSION These aforementioned results indicate that PF is a good candidate for the preparation of an improved traditional medicine able to alleviate some menopausal complaints such as vaginal dryness and hot flushes. Estrogenic and cytotoxic potentials of compounds isolated from Millettia macrophylla Benth. (Fabaceae): towards a better understanding of its underlying mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Zingue
- Laboratory of Physiology and Natural Products Research, Department of Live and Earth Sciences, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 55, Maroua, Cameroon.
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
- Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
| | - Job Tchoumtchoua
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Dieudonnée Mireille Ntsa
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Louis Pergaud Sandjo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Julia Cisilotto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | - Evelyn Winter
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Charline Florence Awounfack
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Derek Tantoh Ndinteh
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
| | - Colin Clyne
- Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Dieudonné Njamen
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa
| | - Maria Halabalaki
- Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - Tânia Beatriz Creczynski-Pasa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Catarina, CEP 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
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